Colorado University Athletics
McGlasson Leads The Intercollegiate; Teammates Apologize
CARY, N.C. ? University of Colorado senior Edward McGlasson, participating here individually after his coach and teammates were suspended for the tournament, put all those issues behind him as he tied two school records here Friday as he emerged as the individual leader through two rounds of The Intercollegiate.
McGlasson opened his day with a tournament record 8-under par 64, a performance that also matched his school record effort for the most strokes under par in a single round that he set last year at the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate. In that meet, he recorded a second round 63 on a par-71 layout, which he did over two days after darkness suspended play to set both school records for low gross score and most under par.
The round of 64 also tied for the second lowest 18 hole score regardless of par, matched only by John Nyuli in the 1989 Wyoming Red Jacoby Invitational.
The Orange, Calif., product then came back with an afternoon 2-under 70 effort on the 6,878-yard, par-72 McGregor Downs Country Club course for a 36-hole score of 134. That 10-under par total tied the school mark for most strokes under par for the first two rounds in a meet, set by John Lindberg in the 1987 Robertson Homes Invitational in Stockton, Calif.; Lindberg did it with a pair of 66s.
McGlasson, who won last fall at the Tunica National Intercollegiate, will be gunning for his second career victory. He dedicated that first one to CU’s late head coach, Mark Simpson, who would pass away a month after McGlasson’s win. He was one stroke out of the lead heading into the final round at Tunica; he enters Saturday in the lead on the final day for the first time in his collegiate career.
“I was able to keep myself really calm all day,” McGlasson said. “It got kind of windy in the afternoon, so I was just trying to keep everything in front of me and stay in the present. This has been a really good test for me with everything that’s gone on lately.
“It’s been a good mental test so far because I am simply trying to think of what I need to do on the next shot and then the next hole instead of anything else.
“I tried not to let the events of the last few days bother me,” McGlasson added. “I just hadn’t played to what I felt was my potential yet this year, but I came out today and struck the ball really well. I feel I am getting closer. It’s nice to have some success with all the work that I’ve put in, and I am looking forward to tomorrow and it should be exciting.
“But I really do miss my teammates, and I’m excited to be reunited with them for College Station,” he added. “I need to thank the Lord for giving me peace and allowing me to stay really focused all day. I believe that was a big part of why I played so well.”
“It was pretty simple,” said CU assistant athletic director Charles Johnson, who is accompanying McGlasson on the trip. “He told me today, ?I want to glorify God’, so the big guy must have smiled on him. He’s a great young man and has quickly become one of my favorite student-athletes.”
McGlasson has enjoyed his time getting to know CJ, and said he has already benefited from a few stories about adversity from the former Buff quarterback. Johnson was the most valuable player in the 1991 Orange Bowl, leading CU to a 10-9 win over Notre Dame and the national championship after replacing an injured Darian Hagan to start the second half.
In the team standings, Kentucky and North Carolina were tied for the lead with 9-under par 567 scores in the 14-team field. The meet concludes Saturday morning.
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
1. Edward McGlasson, Colorado....... 64-70?134
2. Ryan Blaum, Duke......................... 65-70?135
3. Ted Smith, North Carolina............ 67-69?136
4. Brad Doster, Kentucky................... 67-72?139
5. Peter Ahn, Kent State.................... 72-68?140
Meanwhile, back in Boulder, the seven players suspended for violating department policies and team rules at CU’s Stevinson Ranch Invitational in California last week, along with two other team members who did not break any rules, practiced at Vista Ridge in Erie. Interim coach Brad Neher, who was also suspended from this weekend’s event in North Carolina, ran the practice. They were scheduled to meet with athletic director Mike Bohn following practice.
The players got together and wanted the following statement released regarding their incident:
“The seven of us are deeply sorry for the events that took place last Tuesday evening (March 28) in San Francisco. Unfortunately, we can’t change what happened, and we are embarrassed by the situation and the publicity it has brought the University of Colorado. We made a mistake in judgment, and we are paying the price.
“We learned that making an error like this affects many more people than just our immediate team. It has affected the entire University and we realize we hurt our reputation. We have learned the hard way that a single event like this can portray an image of our program of one in which we really are not.
“Coach Mark Simpson always held us to high standards, and always taught us to carry ourselves with dignity and integrity in an exemplary fashion. We do not want this one incident to tarnish his memory or what he stood for.
“We want to sincerely apologize, first to our interim coach Brad Neher who took over under the most difficult of circumstances, and to the entire CU community, including the administration, the athletic department, faculty and staff, our fellow student-athletes and alumni. We also apologize to our own families and friends who have supported us through our lives and careers, and to Coach Simpson’s family, especially Mark’s wife, Valorie. We promise that we have learned from it and will make sure this type of situation never occurs again.
“Our goal now is to work hard to regain the trust from the people and fans that support us and hope we can do that in the remaining two months of this season.”
Sincerely,
Ryan Anderson
Kenny Coakley
Jim Grady
Patrick Grady
Diego Munoz
Derek Tolan
Finlay White